The influence of gender composition in a field of study on students' drop‐out of higher education

Combining Tinto's classical model of student drop‐out with Kanter's assessment of minorities, this article examines the influence of gender composition in a field of study on drop‐out from higher education. Our empirical analysis is based on a sample of students who left German higher education in 2014. Our results confirm previous findings that women in gender‐atypical subjects show a higher drop‐out risk than their male fellow students. We assess several mechanisms which could contribute to explain this effect. Contrary to our expectations, social integration, in the sense of contact with lecturers, seems to be a protective factor for women and men in gender‐atypical subjects. For women in gender‐atypical fields of study, contact with peers is an additional protective factor against drop‐out. The most important mechanism to explain higher education drop‐out is women's more negative self‐assessment of their suitability for male‐dominated subjects.     

Aspiration for global cultural capital in the stratified realm of global higher education: why do Korean students go to US graduate schools?

This study aims to understand Korean students’ motivations for studying in US graduate schools. For this purpose, I conducted in‐depth interviews with 50 Korean graduate students who were enrolled in a research‐centered US university at the time of the interview. In these interviews, I sought to understand how their motivations are connected not only with their family, school, and occupational backgrounds, but also with the stratification of global higher education. Theoretically, this paper attempts to combine the concept of global positional competition with Pierre Bourdieu’s theory of cultural capital in the field of global education. By critically examining a push–pull model of transnational higher education choice‐making, this study situates Korean students’ aspirations in the contexts of global power and the hierarchy of knowledge‐degree production and consumption. After analyzing the students’ qualitative interviews, I classify their motivations for earning US degrees within four categories: enhancing their class positions and enlarging their job opportunities; pursuing learning in the global center of learning; escaping the undemocratic system and culture in Korean universities; and fulfilling desires to become cosmopolitan elites armed with English communication skills and connections within the global professional network. Based on this analysis, I argue that Korean students pursue advanced degrees in the United States in order to succeed in the global positional competition within Korea as well as in the global job marketplace. As they pursue advanced US degrees, Korean students internalize US hegemony as it reproduces the global hierarchy of higher education, but at the same time Korean students see US higher education as a means of liberation that resolves some of the inner contradictions of Korean higher education, including gender discrimination, a degree caste system, and an authoritarian learning culture. Therefore, this study links Korean students’ aspiration for global cultural capital to complex and irregular structures and relations of class, gender, nationality, and higher education that extend across local, national, and global dimensions simultaneously.     

Interior Design Supports Art Education: A Case Study

Interior design, as a field of study, is a rapidly growing area of interest — particularly for teenagers in the United States. Part of this interest stems from the proliferation of design‐related reality shows available through television media. Some art educators and curriculum specialists in the nation perceive the study of interior spaces as a ‘practical application’ of the arts. This article discusses an experiential design problem, originally used in higher education interior design studio courses that was modified and shared with students in third grade to address national academic standards. Later, this same project was modified for use with high school students in the educator's community and with international design students in South Korea. Lastly, the project was presented in a workshop to art education students at a higher education institution. The project was modified to address (1) the age group level and (2) a topic relevant to the audience. Goals of the design project were: (1) to explore creative problem‐solving, (2) to explore the application of design elements and principles, and (3) to increase student understanding of spatial relationships within an interior environment. Findings indicate that the project supported several visual art standards, including perception and community. This project may be of interest to current and future art educators and others interested in the potential of interior design content supporting art education.     

Higher education and women’s empowerment in Pakistan

This paper summarises the findings of a 2005 doctoral study by Malik which explored to what extent participation in higher education offers empowerment to women in Pakistan. A survey instrument was used to question female faculty members and female students from 10 public universities in Pakistan; 1290 students and 290 faculty members responded. Subsequently, semi‐structured interviews were held with 10 faculty members and 10 students. Respondents highlighted economic independence and an increased standing within family and society as the main benefits of higher education participation. A major finding is that participation in higher education enables women to impact on a number of discriminatory practices simultaneously and thereby effect change for the better. The main recommendation is that future educational strategies be developed with the aim of further promoting gender equality in all areas of education in Pakistan, but particularly with the aim of increasing female students’ participation in higher education.     

The Social and Demographic Characteristics of Direct and Delay Entry Nursing Students in Australian Universities

This national study compares the social and demographic characteristics of direct and delay entry nursing students in a earlier group of 1551 students in higher education programs (1987‐1990) with the national study group of 2295 students sampled in 1995. Using a specially constructed socio‐economic variable for comparison the analyses demonstrated a significant difference in the socio‐economic level of the household for the direct entry group but not for the delay entry group. There was also a significant difference between males and females in their direct and delay entry patterns. Further, there was a significant difference in the location of school attended for most of their secondary education for the direct entry group but not for the delay entry group. For both direct and delay entry students there was a significant difference in the number of siblings, the level of education attained by the mother and the income received by the mother in the households of the earlier and latter study groups.     

Increasing Access to Higher Education and the Reproduction of Social Inequalities: The Case of Roma University Students in Eastern and Southeastern Europe

This article explores how elitist elements are preserved within an expanding higher education. It analyzes whether the choice of field of study may be one of these elements and focuses on the case of Roma students in Eastern and Southeastern Europe. The analysis reveals that Roma in the region are not only underrepresented in higher education in general, but also in the STEM fields of study (science, technology, engineering, mathematics). At the same time, Roma are overrepresented in humanities and arts. This has the potential to negatively impact their competitiveness in the job market upon graduation.     

The widening participation agenda: the marginal place of care

This paper is based upon two empirical studies, which identify care‐giving responsibilities as a key mediator of mature students’ – a target group within the widening participation strategy – experiences of higher education. Employing a feminist lens on care, we identify a disjuncture between how students experience the challenges of negotiating care and study, and the narrow and economistic way care is addressed within higher education policy. We point to the broader recognition of care emerging within New Labour’s policies on the reconciliation of paid work and family life and argue that in the context of increasing expectations that learning is for life, care needs to be recognised in a broader form at the interface of both education and employment. Drawing on the notion of a ‘political ethics of care’, we conclude by identifying elements that should be included in a higher‐education ‘care culture’.     

Undergraduate students who are required to withdraw from university: The role of ethnicity

A large body of international research focuses on identifying reasons why students do not ‘persist’ (Tinto, 2006 ) within higher education. Little research has focused on students whose leaving is non‐voluntary and where narratives of ‘persistence’ are therefore not as pertinent. This paper seeks to refocus some of the attention onto the distinct group of students who do not elect to leave their studies but who are, instead, required to withdraw; such students leave under ‘Academic fail’ and ‘Exclusion’ categories. More specifically, it explores the relationship between student leavers’ ethnicity and their likelihood of being required to withdraw. Utilising a large dataset comprising UK‐domiciled undergraduate students enrolled to take a degree within an English higher education institution in 2010/11, it finds that most groups of Black and Minority Ethnic students are more likely to be required to withdraw than White students. Ethnicity exerts an independent impact on a student's likelihood of being required to withdraw, when other background and on‐course characteristics are controlled for, but this impact varies by disciplinary area. It is suggested that these findings implicate factors within the higher education sector itself as key drivers in the process that leads to students being required to withdraw. Lessons are drawn out for those tasked with managing the student experience within higher education.     

Differences in the Scientific Epistemological Views of Undergraduate Students

The purpose of this study was to examine whether science and non‐science major students have different scientific epistemological views (SEVs). A multidimensional instrument previously developed by the authors was used to assess differences in college students’ SEV of various aspects. A total of 220 freshmen (42% science and 58% non‐science majors) attending two public universities participated in this investigation. Results indicated that the science majors have less sophisticated beliefs in the theory‐laden and cultural‐dependent aspects of science than non‐science majors. Analysis of variance results further revealed significant differences in SEV dimensions among the three major fields: non‐science, pure science, and science education. Science education students gained the lowest scores on the entire scale among the groups. Findings of this study imply that science major (including science education) students might be involved longer in such an epistemic environment that described scientific knowledge as objective and universal. It is also possible that beliefs about certainty and objectivity lead these students to select science as their major field. Implications for future research and science teacher education are discussed.     

The effects of choice in the classroom: Is there too little or too much choice?

Motivation is a subject that is constantly discussed in the field of education. Teachers are taught not only to teach their students, but to motivate them to want to learn. As students get older, intrinsic motivation tends to decrease; therefore it becomes more difficult for teachers to motivate students (Ryan and Deci, 2000a). According to self‐determination theory (Ryan and Deci, 2000a, 2000b), students' needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness must be met in order to experience positive social development and growth. When these needs are met, students experience high levels of self‐motivation. Offering choice in the classroom is one way to increase student motivation by appealing to students' needs for autonomy and competence. In the fields of marketing, economics and social psychology, decision‐making research is examined as a way to shape consumers' preferences. This literature review will aim to utilise and possibly translate some of these findings to an educational setting. By examining the aspect of choice in separate fields, it can be seen that there is still much to be researched in the field of education. Recommendations for future research on choice in the field of education are made.     

Informational capital and the transition to university: First‐in‐family students' experiences in Austrian higher education

The agenda for widening participation in higher education has led to increasing numbers of students with a broader range of education and family backgrounds. However, transitioning to the university landscape remains a highly complex negotiation process, especially for first‐in‐family students, who cannot draw on previous experience from higher education in their families. Gaining access to informational capital—a combination of cultural and social capital—plays a crucial role in managing education transitions. We draw on rich empirical data obtained from 26 autobiographical narrative interviews with first‐in‐family university students in Austria to investigate how transitions to university are affected by informational capital. We also explore how access to informational capital was influenced by (1) institutional practices, such as initiatives to support students, especially first‐year students; and (2) cultural fit—the extent to which a student's cultural capital corresponded with the dominant cultural capital in the field of their chosen discipline or higher education establishment. Our findings show that gaining access to informational capital was strongly affected by the institutional practices at universities within the different disciplines, thus highlighting the importance of higher education institutions in supporting their students during transition processes. We conclude with policy implications for how higher education institutions can assist first‐in‐family students to succeed at university.     

Clienteles for distance education in Australia

We present data from an array of sources on the characteristics of external (distance education) students in Australian higher education in comparison with internal full‐time and part‐time students. Profiles of the three populations are drawn up in terms of age, gender, marital status, home location, social background, education and employment history, field of study, and level of course. Also examined are students’ reasons for studying externally, the relationship between employment and study and various effects of education on employment, attitudes and life‐style.     

Included or excluded? The dual influences of the organisational field and organisational practices on new female academics

A number of measures have been taken by the society to ensure gender equality in higher education. Nevertheless, women still face great difficulties when pursuing an academic career. Our aim is to increase the understanding of how the society, conceptualised as the organisational field, interacts with organisational factors and personal actions as women try to establish themselves within academia. We followed a group of female PhD students and their struggle to graduate at a Swedish, traditionally male‐dominated, university department. The paper analyses how actors and regulations in the society interact with the department’s gendered structures and practices. Three processes that influenced the women’s career opportunities have been identified – a process of integration, liberation and legitimatisation. We also show that women can get accepted and realise their short‐term objective, based on support from the society, while not necessarily being included by the department in a longer‐term perspective.     

University Studies and Concept of Reality—A Study of Effects of Education

The project's background

Research about the effects of education at an individual level are to a great extent concentrated to the higher levels of the educational system. Ever since the 1930's extensive research has been conducted, not least in the United States, about what effects on knowledge and values originate from university training. As this project has as its main purpose—with examples from a number of different fields of study—to describe and try to understand enduring effects of a cognitive nature which higher education can contribute to, there is reason to pay attention to those features in previous research that have concerned growth of knowledge and/or cognitive development. According to a survey that was made in a different context (Dahlgren, 1982), it is possible to classify the cognitive effects of education into three levels. The first level might be the one that is most evidently associated with formal education, i.e., the level where specific knowledge and skills within different subjects appear. It is of course not surprising to find that students that are about to leave an education where they have taken extensive courses in, for instance, biology and chemistry perform better at tests with problems of a scientific nature than a group of students that have recently started the same kind of education.     

Doctoral Counselor Education Students' Levels of Research Self‐Efficacy,Perceptions of the Research Training Environment,and Interest in Research

Counselor educators are called to be effective researchers; however, limited study has investigated research constructs within counselor educators‐in‐training. This study investigated the levels of research self‐efficacy (Greeley et al., 1989), perceptions of the research training environment (Gelso, Mallinckrodt, & Judge, 1996), and interest in research (Bishop & Bieschke, 1994) within a sample of counselor education doctoral students (N = 89). Doctoral students in their 3rd year of preparation had higher research self‐efficacy scores than did 1st‐ and 2nd‐year students. Additionally, higher research self‐efficacy was associated with higher interest in research and scholarly publication experience. Implications for counselor education are discussed.     

Determinants of Grade 8 Achievement in Jordan: a multilevel analysis approach

Although a large body of research exists on students achievement and school effectiveness, recent studies have pointed to major methodological drawbacks associated with research in this field. In the present study, an attempt was made to overcome some of these drawbacks by utilising a hierarchical linear modelling strategy. Applying this procedure on four data sets of 2918 Grade 8 students, 2918 parents, 344 teachers and 152 school principals simultaneously, the findings revealed that the variation in achievement within schools is more than five times as high as the variation between schools (84% compared to 16%). That is, school‐level variables are far less important in affecting academic achievement than student‐level variables. Students background variables included in the model (gender, father education, mother education, home possessions and number of siblings) accounted for 12% of the total variability in students’ achievement.     

A study of accounting students' motives,expectations and preparedness for higher education

Framed by the accounting education change debate and growing national concern regarding student attrition, this paper examines the perceptions of first‐year students as they commence their study of accounting at an Irish university. It explores a range of factors which impact on students' learning: their motives for entering higher education, their rationale for selecting an accounting programme, their preparedness for further study and their expectations. The findings offer accounting educators the opportunity to have a greater sensitivity to, and a better understanding of, their students. This will enable better‐informed curriculum, teaching and assessment within the accounting discipline, aiding students' transition to higher education and leading to higher quality learning.     

Blended problem‐based learning for teacher education: lessons learnt

This paper explores case study research of the group process for teachers as learners in an Online Learning Module delivered in a blended problem‐based learning (PBL) environment. Blended learning, as the name suggests, consists of a blend of at least two pedagogical approaches: within the context of this research, blended learning is the integration of the PBL face‐to‐face learning in a classroom with an e‐learning environment. The 10‐week module was part of an accredited Postgraduate Diploma in Third Level Learning and Teaching for academic staff (lecturers, librarians, learning technology support staff) from a range of higher education institutions in the Republic of Ireland. This Postgraduate Diploma attracts academic staff keen to experience and implement a variety of pedagogical approaches within their own teaching. Over the four years of the module’s existence, there have been a wide variety of subject disciplines in higher education represented. This paper shares experiences and lessons learnt from the case study, and provides a set of recommendations for other teachers pursuing this form of blended PBL with students.     

Working for change in higher education: the possibilities for collaborative research

This paper explores the potential for conducting collaborative and critical research in higher education which problematises the role and practices of the academy in maintaining exclusion. It begins with a brief discussion of UK government discourse on widening participation, and contrasts this with the research literature which indicates the persistence of exclusionary practices in higher education, particularly in relation to social class. It then utilises a retrospective account of a small‐scale participatory research study undertaken between 1996 and 2003 with a group of adult students from working class and minority ethnic backgrounds, to explore the possibilities for research which seeks the collaboration of those who, in other traditions, are constituted as research ‘objects’. The paper discusses some of the lessons from the research process and explores the challenges for academics conducting research within the academy – challenges arising from their social positioning and their location in the academic field, but also from the ‘scholarly gaze’ which they ‘cast upon the social world’. The paper advocates research which shifts the focus from deficit discourses around students, turns a critical and reflexive gaze towards academia and academics, and directs its efforts towards challenging existing power structures within higher education.     

A comparison of online versus traditional student end‐of‐course critiques in resident courses

This study outlines the intraclass differences between online and traditional student end‐of‐course critiques (EOCCs) only in the context of resident courses. Previous research into these differences appears limited to studies that compare entire classes rather than studies within any given class. Hypotheses are stated that the administration method has an effect on: how students will rate EOCCs, EOCC response rates, and, the detail level, favourability level and number of EOCC comments. In this field experiment, students in resident business courses at a large university comprised the sample. Individuals from within each class were randomly assigned either to a control group that completed a traditional paper‐based EOCC or to an experimental group that completed a similar EOCC online. Comments were coded with regard to the level of detail, favourability and total number of comments. Analysis of variance was used to compare the two groups with regard to ratings, comments and response rates. Online EOCCs had lower response rates, lower overall ratings, but more detailed comments. The methodology had no significant effect on the number or favourability level of comments.